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Need Advice For Daughter's Home Defense Weapon

8K views 90 replies 47 participants last post by  Munch520 
#1 ·
Hello all,
Requesting advice/opinions about providing my 22 year old daughter with her first home defense weapon. She's a full-time university student living in a big city and up to now had room mates. The room mates have moved out and she's now living alone and asking if she can take a pistol home for self defense.

She's been shooting since she was small and is trained in gun safety, and has a concealed weapons permit in the great state of Oklahoma (Go Pokes!). I use 1911(ish) weapons for all purposes but I'm not sure this is the best weapon for a 22 year old girl to use if something goes bump in the night.

My question: Should I arm my kid with a pistol or with additional training should I arm the kid with a shotgun for home defense (small apartment)? She has 12GA skeet shooting experience but that's not enough.

I value the opinions here and thank you in advance for your time. If I posted this in the wrong place, please let me know.

LEINVITO
 
#2 ·
Rifle or shotgun if she is comfortable with them. I personally use an AR. Long gun over a pistol every time if I have a choice. I carry a pistol because running around with a slung AR is asking for attention I don't need/want. It is convenience not effectiveness that influences my carry choice. I don't run into the same problems at home.

If she doesn't already have a pistol to carry. That might be the better option simply because it would be useful in a larger area of her life. She would be sacrificing at home effectiveness, for a broader area of use.
 
#79 ·
I agree with jago668. I can't add much except that if money is no object get a hand gun to carry around outside the house and get an AR or shotgun inside the house. I like a double barrel coach gun because she does not need to worry about short stroking the pump shotgun. An AR with a 30 round mag is a good choice because it you get a gun with 30 rounds with low recoil.
 
#91 · (Edited)
For home the Judge / Governor. Small revolver for carry.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
For the love of everything holy, please no. A wheel gun with basically birdshot, smaller grip, no ability to mount a light, no usable sights, and slow to add capacity (reload). Absolutely probably one of the worst options for anyone, much less a girl. Yeah yeah yeah, sights won't be applicable in a gunfight, maybe true but I'd rather have them. How the hell else am I going to practice?

And in my experience the "it'll never fail" justification for a revolver is the only way it could come close to being a better option than modern semi-autos. Even if a semi auto DOES fail, my wife can clear a type 1 a heck of a lot faster than she can reload a wheelgun. Key here is to get her into some guns that make her want to get proficient, I've never seen a woman (or man for that matter) that enjoys shooting small revolvers for hundreds of rounds at a time.

.223 HPs and JSPs will likely penetrate fewer layers of wall than buckshot, as the projectiles will start breaking up into pieces. Given my choice, I'd take a carbine as a primary for home defense.

Pertaining to the OP's daughter, though, the previous posters have said it best: What does she want & what does she shoot well?
Even though it's from earlier in the thread, spot on!

----

Great suggestions here (especially ones involving Simply Safe). LAYERS of security are her best bet here, so alarm, motion-activated lights (interior too), long-gun safe/drawer safe, reinforced lock and doorframe on entrance, bedroom, and bathroom door are good starters. People will buy $2k worth of guns and forget about upgrading a lock :hrm:

Many have suggested different handguns/manual of arms for carry and HD use...I can't think of a worse option. Keep it simple. Also, dudes tend to suggest little pocket rockets for women...if ANYONE should be carrying a larger gun and be able to conceal it, it's the women. Hell, my wife could fit a crew-served weapon in her 'purse'. Obviously if she has smaller hands, that can be a limiting factor, but most service-sized 9s have completely manageable grips.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/StrikeMaster-II-Door-Frame-and-Hinge-Reinforcement-55724/202076114
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers...on-Activated-Wall-Switches/zgbs/hi/6291361011
https://www.amazon.com/SimpliSafe-W...F8&qid=1492805600&sr=1-1&keywords=simply+safe


Carry: Glock 26 or 19 (or comparable polymer/striker-fired gun)
-ability to accept mags from larger HD option
-good capacity
-simple
-easily managed recoil
-usable sights
Home: Glock 17
-same manual of arms as the carry gun
-ability to mount a WML (no one, least of all a lady, wants to be old-schooling it with a WML in their off-hand/no free hands)
-capacity
-reliability
-full firing grip = better recoil management and follow-up accuracy
-longer sight radius
-easily managed recoil
-ability to mount suppressor (who knows, she may really get into it?!)

^probably the best option in terms of cost and simplicity, but a carbine may not be a bad choice. my wife definitely prefers shooting carbines over pistols.

Home: AR15
-shoulder fired, weapon retention and stability are better than pistol
-better ballistics
-great capacity
-could be a sub $1k endeavor (carbine, white light, red dot, sling)
-ability to mount suppressor

Sounds like you guys are an awesome daughter/father combo! Must be lost of fun to have a daughter willing to engage in discussions revolving around something other than the Kardashians...and sounds like she's in great hands with you, OP!
 
#6 ·
If it's totally home defense, I would vote 18" Rem 870. Fast an easy to learn, rock solid platform, brutal in close quarters. You could go 20 gauge if she is recoil sensitive, and with the right shells much less worry about over penetration which is a concern in an apartment scenero.
 
#7 ·
I'd give her what she WANTS if I GAVE her anything. What she wants and what she already shoots MOST.
 
#8 ·
Just went through this in the Spring with my daughter:

Hello all,
Requesting advice/opinions about providing my 22 year old daughter with her first home defense weapon. She's ... asking if she can take a pistol home for self defense.

She's been shooting since she was small and is trained in gun safety, and has a concealed weapons permit ... I use 1911(ish) weapons for all purposes but I'm not sure this is the best weapon for a 22 year old girl to use if something goes bump in the night.

My question: Should I arm my kid with a pistol or with additional training should I arm the kid with a shotgun for home defense (small apartment)? ...

I value the opinions here and thank you in advance for your time. If I posted this in the wrong place, please let me know.
Written up somewhat here:

https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=539145&highlight=


Additional training and -her- choice of firearm. Some people have no difficulty turning into a learned reflex an action such as disengaging the 1911 safeties ; some just cannot and it won't work under stress. A shotgun makes a very effective home defense weapon; using a shotgun I'd think more people will be inclined to stay put, cover the entrance(s) to the room. A pistol is good because you can get used to having it on one's person all the time. Only she can know what will suit her. A capable SD-oriented instructor ought to put a -lot- of different guns in her hands; those firearms that she finds worthwhile, she should shoot; those that give her good results and confidence become the short-list. Then she should learn enough about the care and feeding of the short-list candidates to pick from among them.

The kind of building she lives in and its location is important in firearm selection too: my daughter and her husband live in a brick house on the edge of a suburb; it might not be entirely irresponsible for them to use a rifle as the primary home defense weapon. But their previous home was an apartment in a city; a rifle bullet would go through an intruder and have velocity to go through two or more neighboring apartments.
 
#9 ·
.223 HPs and JSPs will likely penetrate fewer layers of wall than buckshot, as the projectiles will start breaking up into pieces. Given my choice, I'd take a carbine as a primary for home defense.

Pertaining to the OP's daughter, though, the previous posters have said it best: What does she want & what does she shoot well?
 
#12 ·
Very sound advice right here. Hits trump all else so what she js comfortable with is the most important. Many overlook an ars capability for home defense but the round is very well suited to it. The main challenge is the length of weapon which can overcome. After an ar my likely choice would be a glock or revolver for shear simplicity and reliability under stress. Whatever the choice the intended user comfort with the platform is the most important vairable in the equation.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
Our home defense guns are Sigs. Same function as a revolver to bring to bear. I don't believe in any gun without a lot of training with that gun. My wife has shot the Sigs 1000 rounds in SD classes. Shooting a real gun is what we all focus on. That's good, but only part of the equation.

The other part of the equation is the mental training. I highly recommend you get her an instructor that has a shooting simulator. No other way will allow the student to be put in certain situations requiring decision making. The right decisions are what keep you alive, not the kind of gun. The simulator teaches good decision making. Fight, flight, cover, it's all in there. LEO uses them for good reason.
 
#13 ·
Safety for a single woman in an apartment....

Let her decide what she shoots best....a revolver or semi auto in her choice of caliber, and/or perhaps a pump shotgun with 00 buck. A good S&W 8-shot revolver in .357 mag may be used with .38 special +P loads, which might be easier to handle for a 22 year old woman..... A double action revolver is pretty much a very simple gun to use in a tense situation....simply pull the trigger for double action mode, or thumb cock the hammer back for a lighter trigger pull on the first shot......

However, shooting a home invader is a last resort option.....The better option is to make the apartment as secure as possible, with a good alarm system, strong solid door(s) and key lock dead bolts. A good alarm system with glass breaker sensors on the windows, and a loud siren may scare the criminal away, and if not, may alert neighbors to the problem in an apartment complex. Shooting a bad guy that has entered her apartment is the final option when needed....
 
#15 ·
take her to a range that rents a variety of guns. let her try 9mm, 45 acp, 38 specials..... let her choose what feels best .
THIS...

Like much else in the process of developing and educating an older child, its not so much about telling them what is right or wrong, its about exposing them to options, opinions, and choices, giving them as much information and experience as possible...

Some of the suggestions border on the absurd; a .22 revolver...? There's NO indication that this young lady has any recoil sensitivity issues- to the contrary, she has a background with 12ga skeep....

Start with the pistol, its easier to have accessible anywhere in the house, and since she has a CC permit, the pistol offers more versatility.

Discuss the idea of a shotgun. If she's interested, look into various options. Sincce she has a background in shotgun games, she should have a baseline of knowledge for making this decision.
 
#16 ·
What she feels most comfortable with and the first one she suggest might be the best.
The Lady Smith 38 comes to mind for her use. Small enough to not attract attention when she takes it to her room. Also can be carried with a permit if she so chooses. Texas has Campus Carry...don't know what State she's in. If she prefers something larger a Colt Commander 45 or Officer.
 
#18 ·
I'n thinking if she doesn't practice frequently and there is still a chance of her having young guests over or possible future roommates maybe a couple cans of bear spray stashed in a few areas might be the way to go. A good 38spl. is easy to see if it's loaded or not, but if she doesn't want to go the revolver route then I would suggest the Taurus PT111 G2 Millennium in 9mm. My significant other bought herself her own handgun last year and I really like this gun, very comfortable to shoot, surprisingly accurate once you get used to the trigger and feeds everything we.ve put in it, mostly cast bullet reloads. $269 out the door. Not a bad price if a house guest or break in decides to walk off with it.
 
#19 ·
I agree with allowing her to shoot and choose. Its the only way she will feel comfortable around it. If she can handle a 12 guage, that's what I would suggest.

Walks with gun I too have a little PT111, and can't say enough good things about that lil guy. 12 rounds of 9mm in a pocket gun. Felt recoil is sharp, but if she practiced, it would be easily managed.

I have 2 daughters away at school, and I know your fears. I also worry that even though she's a responsible shooter, anyone entering that apartment may not be. God knows guns and alcohol don't mix well, but really no getting away from the alcohol at college, right?

Good luck with whatever you two choose.
 
#20 ·
I don't remember who offered it, but there is some gun shaped pepper gel guns out there, might be another option. In my limited experience, you can have the smartest teenager or young adult but for every other young person added to the room, the overall IQ drops by half. Pennywise I thought the Taurus had less felt recoil than most of the small 9's and less than many 380's. You really get a lot of gun for the money.
 
#22 ·
My vote is with those who let the young woman make her own choice. Great comments about taking her to the shop and range to let her experience different options, but please note that it took me years before I learned that my wife and daughters might have ideas (that might not be the same as mine!)
 
#23 ·
Does she like dogs? We have a belgian malinois/german shepherd mix that takes care of my wife and daughter when I'm not here. It's like he flips a switch and is on patrol when I'm gone. When my wife jogs at night around the neighborhood, he's right there with her the whole way.

My wife also has her choice on pistol or 20ga. But I agree with the above, get her something she likes.
 
#24 ·
First, thank you all for the great advice. It's a lot to think about.

I think I'll offer her one to carry and one for the apartment. As her Dad I honestly didn't think about letting her choose. Father know's best,etc... I will let her shoot and choose (could be expensive!). I have a wide variety and the LGS rents weapons.

I agree that a gun safe is a must have. She is very responsible but walks with gun is absolutely correct about adding other young folks to the equation. Especially if they arrive with beer.

Finally the training, I couldn't agree more. She's had some but I'll make sure she gets professional training with whatever she chooses. The advice about finding a simulator class is very interesting. I'll see if I can find a place here in OKC that offers this training. We could go together and make a day of it.

Thanks again and I'll let you know what path she chooses.
 
#25 ·
I missed the question about a dog. She loves dogs so when she moved into the apartment, that was her first move. The dog isn't large but he'll stand his ground and make plenty of noise.

One other recommendation was about securing the apartment. I'll look into an alarm system for her but as it is a rental, I can't modify the building.

Thanks...
 
#26 ·
A dog is a 13 year commitment. Plus a bad idea for a renter. Even if THIS landlord allows dogs, the next might not. When I advertise my rentals I usually get 30+ applications on the first weekend. So I don't need to accept dogs, which cause at least half of all tenant problems, in my experience. And I have 22 years in this business.

Doors & locks. A tenant replacing my door / frame can be a problem. They could cause damage, or lose my original door.

Long guns: I'll go into more detail on this than my first post. Suicide, gun theft, and accidents are statistically a bigger threat to her than Bad Guys.

So again, I recommend a handgun in a small safe. Not a long arm that needs a bigger & more noticeable safe. Tough in a small apartment where every sq ft matters, especially in a girl's closet.

And I said REVOLVER for a reason. No Tap Rack drills training needed. Just point & squeeze. Bad ammo? -------- just squeeze again.

The OP mentioned this was an apt in the Big City. This generally means small living space & close neighbors. Very frangible rounds or even a Glaser safety slugs may be a good call here.

So there it is, from a girl's father & landlord.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Long guns: I'll go into more detail on this than my first post. Suicide, gun theft, and accidents are statistically a bigger threat to her than Bad Guys.
Well, no, not really. Suicide is only a risk factor if the OP's daughter is actually suicidal to begin with, or otherwise will become suicidal. Even then, people seeking to kill themselves have a knack for using a variety of methods when firearms aren't at their disposal. And barring that, there are only a total of about 20,000 suicides committed with firearms in the US each year; for comparison, the lowest estimates for the number of defensive gun usages per year, based on calculations carried out by anti-gun researchers, are upwards of 50,000. Most estimates, however, are in the hundreds of thousands-such figures are greater than the combined number of firearm murders and suicides by an order of magnitude. If you slashed these numbers in half for home defense, on the assumption that 50% of DGUs occur outside of the house, the quotients would still be many times greater than the # of firearm related murders and suicides.

Fatal firearm accidents are so rare as to almost be a statistical anomaly. There are slightly less than 600 a year, which is comparable to the number of people who die by falling off of their beds, and less than an eighth of the number who die by choking. Of that <600, a substantial portion can be traced to young children who have little knowledge of gun safety-a group that the OP's daughter doesn't fit in. The media sure likes to play up the risk, but the reality is that the chance is extremely low.

This leaves only gun thefts left, and the number is rather high, probably around 150k a year. However, one must consider the individual circumstances to better determine the level of risk. Many of these guns are probably just lying around somewhere around the house when the owner is away.

Now let's say you don't want to leave the gun unsecured, but instead decide to lock it up. On average, this should yield a significant increase in protection, though how much would depend on the location, appearance, and security level of the container. A TL-15 safe, for example, would probably keep out at least 99.99% of criminals, although such an item would be quite heavy and expensive, and most likely impractical in an apartment. But the fact that it's an apartment near a university also works to the daughter's favor, because many burglars are likely to be other college students who simply take whatever they can immediately grab and transport, and have neither the knowledge nor the time or the environment to try to open safes. For that kind of thing, most locked metal boxes will do, especially if disguised and/or hidden.

So, statistically speaking, having a firearm is likely to provide much more benefit than harm on an individual basis, especially if you are a non-suicidal individual who is well versed in gun safety and secures/carries your weapons when you're away.
 
#27 ·
You don't have to completely replace the door frame or door. Just put some 3 to 4 inch screws in the lock plates and hinge plates. It isn't perfect, but better than nothing. I've done this on several apartments and isn't noticeable at all. You do what you can with what you got.

There are also stick on alarms for doors, and the door stop looking ones that wedge under doors. Don't require any work or change on the apartment. Once again, not perfect but take what you can.

There are also camera systems that mount to an existing peep hole on a door. Lets you have a video screen view. So nobody can notice a change in light looking from the outside. Can take pictures of people as well. There are also all types of wireless camera surveillance systems you can use for the apartment as well. So if there is a break in they can send a notification to your cell phone. Even some baby monitors do that now.
 
#28 ·
When I went through this with my daughter, she tried several and desided on the SCCY CPX1. It's a 9mm and she only uses hollow points for protection and FMJ for the range. It's cheap, easy to hide, carry, store and maintain.

She thought this one out, at first she was hesitant on the long trigger draw, but likes it now since there will be a second for her to confirm she should send one down the tube. (once sent they are accountable for its travel path). And she can send one quickly if needed. The pistol comes with 2 - 10 round mags.

She wants it for her protection, she isn't going to war. And I can testify she will not take any sh!t from any guy.
 
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